The Tories reveal today that our present Government is spending millions of taxpayers money on press cuttings and "rebutting inaccuracies".
News Desk
The current Labour government’s obsession with "spinning the media" and keeping in track with editorials in the press has lead to the tax payer paying according to a report in the Daily Telegraph spending in excess of £16 million on private companies supplying press cuttings to Government press offices.
According to the report one of the search terms monitored by one of the companies includes the issue of the repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles which has been an ongoing dispute with Greece were according to the terms of the search "these statutes are at the centre of a dispute with Greece were they taken from in the 19th century and they want them back".
The Conservative party condemned this "waste" as they put it with an accusation that this Government was obsessed by spin, highlighted by the fact that the HM Treasury spends £1.5 million on press cuttings and media monitoring employing 4 separate companies, followed by the Department of Transport, Communities and Business all spending about a £1 million each.
Jeremy Hunt the Conservatives culture secretary is quoted in the Telegraph as saying:
"This is a colossal waste of money and taxpayers will be furious that when everyone else is tightening their belts the last thing to get cut is the Governments own PR."
The Government responded to the accusations that spending millions on press cuttings was a colossal waste of money with a comment by the Justice Minister Michael Willis saying:
"To ensure Government policy is reported accurately and inaccuracies are rebutted".
Search terms from Government department to press cuttings agencies:
- Lap dancing - Chlamydia - Haringey social services - Gypsies - Explosions - London 2012 - Terrorism
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